what is the highest temp you like to run your stove

[Martin Strand III]

On how hot is too hot for a metal stove:

General rule of thumb, ball park, common knowledge figure is metal (first, usually in the lower flue area of a wood stove) begins to glow red at about 900* F. To prevent warpage (read damage) to your metal stove and as most stove manufacturers recommend, to prevent over firing you should not burn your stove this hot so as to glow red.

Of course, your firebox can and usually gets much hotter than this but it is usually insulated with firebrick which protects the metal at these higher temperatures.

That said, don't assume hot fires are bad. You want to burn all fires in your stove hot since a hot fire is a clean fire. Just don't burn so hot to over fire your stove. An exact temperature cannot be given for how hot is ideal since stoves vary in metal thickness, insulation, design, etc. Don't want much heat? Just burn less fuel but burn it hot.

The only type of wood burning stove that was designed and intended to burn extra hot, wide open air for full burn cycle, full bore hot is a masonry heater.

Aye,
Marty

Grandma used to say: "You're either hot or you're not."

 

[begreen]

I have the same with my Regency i2400 insert. I always leave it full open and it heats fine. I've tried several different wood sources and it makes no difference. My chimney is only 16' so that may be part of it.

Something doesn't sound right with the setup if it always needs full air to burn. A 16' stack should be fine if it is done correctly. How is the stove tied to the chimney system? What size flue? Is it lined? Did the liner get ovalized?

 

[Todd]

I have a summit insert trying to do 2000 plus i usually shut the air down around 550-650 and she goes up to 650-725 before coming down and settling at 550-650 at this temp i can really do the 2000+ anything cooler does not get the rooms way in the back warm enough this keeps temps 72-76 in the front and 68-70 in the back
what do you run your stove at?? please list make of stove and sq ft

I have a new Regency I3100 and am still leaning towards full air to keep my 1800 -2000 sf house even close to warm. My main question is what kind to thermometer do you use and where does one put it on a insert?

Thanks
Shipper

run it on full air to get it hot once its hot close the air down and it should get even hotter for a while
my thermometer is on the fromt of my stove just above the door so i kinda get a idea of what its running at
and depending on layout it takes time to heat a house

Why does this never work on my stove?? With a full and well burning load of wood, I can get the pipe temp (magnetic- about 15" from stove top) to about 500 but whenever I start to close the damper the temp always drops and will idle around 300-350. If I dare to shut it all the way, I get a smolder and eventually, a temp in 150's. It NEVER goes up or even stays the same when I start closing it. What is going on? ~Regency F2400

This is why I like to monitor 2 thermometers, 1 for the pipe and 1 for the stove. The more air you give it, the higher the stack temp and the more you waste heat up the stack. As you reduce the air the stove temp should rise and the stack temp will decrease. The newer EPA stoves are designed to hold the heat in the stove and let just enough up the stack to maintain good draft. 300-350 stack temp sounds about right if your stove top is running in the 500-600 range. You need to find that sweet spot.

 

[mbk2000]

I have a summit insert trying to do 2000 plus i usually shut the air down around 550-650 and she goes up to 650-725 before coming down and settling at 550-650 at this temp i can really do the 2000+ anything cooler does not get the rooms way in the back warm enough this keeps temps 72-76 in the front and 68-70 in the back
what do you run your stove at?? please list make of stove and sq ft

I have a new Regency I3100 and am still leaning towards full air to keep my 1800 -2000 sf house even close to warm. My main question is what kind to thermometer do you use and where does one put it on a insert?

Thanks
Shipper

run it on full air to get it hot once its hot close the air down and it should get even hotter for a while
my thermometer is on the fromt of my stove just above the door so i kinda get a idea of what its running at
and depending on layout it takes time to heat a house

Why does this never work on my stove?? With a full and well burning load of wood, I can get the pipe temp (magnetic- about 15" from stove top) to about 500 but whenever I start to close the damper the temp always drops and will idle around 300-350. If I dare to shut it all the way, I get a smolder and eventually, a temp in 150's. It NEVER goes up or even stays the same when I start closing it. What is going on? ~Regency F2400

This is why I like to monitor 2 thermometers, 1 for the pipe and 1 for the stove. The more air you give it, the higher the stack temp and the more you waste heat up the stack. As you reduce the air the stove temp should rise and the stack temp will decrease. The newer EPA stoves are designed to hold the heat in the stove and let just enough up the stack to maintain good draft. 300-350 stack temp sounds about right if your stove top is running in the 500-600 range. You need to find that sweet spot.

Well, that makes sense. Time to get a second thermometer. So when everyone is talking about temperatures, are they speaking of stove top temps? I guess that where it can get confusing to a newbie.

 

[begreen]

Yes, usually this is stove top temps. The location on the stove top varies from stove to stove. Some manufacturers make specific location suggestions for a thermometer on the top and some don't even mention stove top temps.

If the temp is being read from another location like the stack or the stove face, that should be explained.

 

[Cearbhaill]

[quote author="mbk2000" date="1198544225]
Well, that makes sense. Time to get a second thermometer. So when everyone is talking about temperatures, are they speaking of stove top temps? I guess that where it can get confusing to a newbie.[/quote]
It's even more confusing when you remember that we insert folks have our thermometers on the front of the insert, and there's no telling what we're measuring hh:
After a while I just learned that 'xx' temperature produces 'yy' result and so could then stop worrying about a specific number.

 

[Todd]

I have a summit insert trying to do 2000 plus i usually shut the air down around 550-650 and she goes up to 650-725 before coming down and settling at 550-650 at this temp i can really do the 2000+ anything cooler does not get the rooms way in the back warm enough this keeps temps 72-76 in the front and 68-70 in the back
what do you run your stove at?? please list make of stove and sq ft

I have a new Regency I3100 and am still leaning towards full air to keep my 1800 -2000 sf house even close to warm. My main question is what kind to thermometer do you use and where does one put it on a insert?

Thanks
Shipper

run it on full air to get it hot once its hot close the air down and it should get even hotter for a while
my thermometer is on the fromt of my stove just above the door so i kinda get a idea of what its running at
and depending on layout it takes time to heat a house

Why does this never work on my stove?? With a full and well burning load of wood, I can get the pipe temp (magnetic- about 15" from stove top) to about 500 but whenever I start to close the damper the temp always drops and will idle around 300-350. If I dare to shut it all the way, I get a smolder and eventually, a temp in 150's. It NEVER goes up or even stays the same when I start closing it. What is going on? ~Regency F2400

This is why I like to monitor 2 thermometers, 1 for the pipe and 1 for the stove. The more air you give it, the higher the stack temp and the more you waste heat up the stack. As you reduce the air the stove temp should rise and the stack temp will decrease. The newer EPA stoves are designed to hold the heat in the stove and let just enough up the stack to maintain good draft. 300-350 stack temp sounds about right if your stove top is running in the 500-600 range. You need to find that sweet spot.

Well, that makes sense. Time to get a second thermometer. So when everyone is talking about temperatures, are they speaking of stove top temps? I guess that where it can get confusing to a newbie.

Yes, most of the time people are talking stove top temps. Some others monitor the stack, and a few monitor internal temps of one or the other (especially cat stoves). I like to see what is going on with both the stove and pipe.

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

Must be something about looking at gauge's- stove...thermometer's...etc.
I know I have several.....dozen.